Baked Stuffed Shells with Radicchio and Sausage

Radicchio, a red and white member of the chicory family, is a favorite vegetable in the Veneto region of Italy. In her kitchen in Treviso, home cook Alessandra Bianchi showed us how to make conchiglie ripiene con radicchio al forno. She stuffed parcooked pasta shells with a filling of radicchio sautéed with shallots before covering them with besciamella (the Italian version of French béchamel) and baking them until browned and bubbly. In our version, we include a little Italian sausage in the filling to make the dish rich and satisfying enough to be a main. Be sure to use jumbo shells for this recipe, boil them until they’re just shy of al dente (they will finish cooking in the oven) and drizzle them with a little oil after draining to prevent them from sticking together.